Running, eating, sleeping and all the bits in between

It’s very unlike me not to have another big event in the distance, and by that I mean a marathon! I always seem to have the next one lined up and a goal in mind.

Despite having several I’m toying with in the future, I’ve made the decision to shelve an autumn marathon this year. So I must have some grand plan, something bigger or faster or longer or better…

Well, not as such. I’m just loving what I’m doing at the moment.

Never one to be without a plan, the vague plan looks a bit like this:

CiRF (coaching course) this weekend – and big focus on coaching and leading

The Hurt trail race – June

Endure24 team – June

3 x Yateley 10k races – June, July & August

Pacing Nottingham Women’s Running 10k

Adidas Thunder Run team – July

New parkrun PB – by August

Cycle commute – start it! Then once a week throughout the summer

Enter our first cycling event – cycling is something Scott and I have taken up together to it would be great to do our first event together this summer.

Book 2 x half marathons for the autumn – would like a decent PB attempt so will need to research these well. Also fancy trying a new location.

Have half marathon plan in place – June/July

OK so for someone without a plan, this seems like quite a plan, but somehow, life feels different without being somewhere in a 16 week marathon training cycle!

But I’m very excited about the no plan, kinda plan, vague plan thing.

I’m loving encouraging, motivating and watching others improve, and can’t wait for coaching to get bigger and better soon. The events I’ve got coming up are a mix of racing and fun, so it looks like a good summer is on the cards.

On returning from beautiful Crete, this was the best race I could have done to get me back into the swing of things.

The Pairs Relay is in its second year. The course is a 1km flat, off road loop, which starts and ends at the change-over pen. Each pair completes the 1km loop 10 times, 5 times each alternating. So runner A does 1 lap, high five’s runner B who does the next lap, high five’s runner A who does the next, back to runner B’s turn etc… hope you’re still with me.

Unlike the inaugural year, the weather was pants! The days either side of the event were glorious, but this day was wetter than wet wet wet. But still, over 100 smiling pairs turned up with cakes and competitive glints in their eyes, ready to take on the relay.

Young, old, club runners, fun runners, first timers and veterans all took to the start line and off we went. Scott and I were running as a team and it was his first “proper” running event. He was running the first leg, so waiting in the change-over pen I was surprised to see him flying round the final corner and across the field towards me quite so quickly after the first 1km.

The loop quickly become familiar, and muddier! The rain didn’t hold off much but we were already wet and muddy so it didn’t matter too much! Our lungs were burning by the end of each lap, and despite the fact that they had recovered once the other runner returned, our legs hadn’t!

Crossing the finish line, we’d completed the 10km in 45:17 and had a pretty even split of time between us. The laps got a bit slower each time (well don’t we always go off too fast in these things?!) but were not too bad in terms of pace.

As you can probably tell from reading about me, I’m not the best at stopping. I don’t like to do nothing, but I also feel overwhelmed when I’m doing everything.

So 2 marathons seemed like a good excuse to book a holiday. 7 days after the London marathon we jetted off to Crete and I literally did nothing! We meandered from breakfast to a sun lounger. Wandered from lunch to the beach. Shuffled from dinner to the bar. It was amazing! I was itching to run, but I HAD to rest. and taking myself away from it all was the best way to do it. I highly recommend it….though running 2 marathons beforehand isn’t essential!

Refocus & replan.

It was a great time to read and refocus on things. I read some fantastics book which helped me to think about the important things, and where I want to be going in life. I love encouraging, coaching and helping others run, both face to face and via social media, and I very much believe that you should love what you do.

So next weekend sees me taking the next big step in making things happen for me and turning my England Athletics Leader in Running Fitness licence, in to a Coach in Running Fitness one. It’s going to be a lot of hard work, alongside my office day job, but I am so excited and determined to make this happen.